Infant restraining board

ABSTRACT

A restraining assembly for children comprises a rigid support board having a head portion at one end adapted to underlie the head of the patient, diverging leg portions at the other end to underlie the legs of the patient, a body portion intermediate the head and foot portions and arm portions projecting from opposite sides adjacent the juncture of the head and body portions. Releasable patient holding bands pass slidably through a plurality of slots in each of the arm, leg and body portions, and laterally adjustable head holding pads are provided on the head portion.

United States Patent Darby, Jr.

[ 51 Mar.21,1972

[54] INFANT RESTRAINING BOARD [72] Inventor: Charles P. Darby, Jr., 90 Broad St., P. O.

Box 242, Charleston, SC. 24901 22 Filed: Jan. 15,1970

21 Appl.No.: 3,086

[52] U.S.Cl

..269/328, 128/134 [51] Int. Cl. ..A6lf 5/56 {58] Field of Search ..269/322, 328; 128/134; 250/50,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,526,222 9/1970 Dreibelbis ..128/l34 3,215,834 11/1965 Tayman 2,535,559 12/1950 Wolf 2,751,268 6/1956 Creelman ..269/328 2,973,889 3/1961 Phillips ..269/328 X 2,995,407 8/1961 lzzi ..269/328 3,358,141 12/1967 Hoffmann et a1. ..269/328 X 3,434,165 3/1969 Keane ..269/328 X Primary Examiner-William S. Lawson Attorney-Strauch, Nolan, Neale, Nies & Kurz 5 7] ABSTRACT A restraining assembly for children comprises a rigid support board having a head portion at one end adapted to underlie the head of the patient, diverging leg portions at the other end to underlie the legs of the patient, a body portion intermediate the head and foot portions and arm portions projecting from opposite sides adjacent the juncture of the head and body portions. Releasable patient holding hands pass slidably through a plurality of slots in each of the arm, leg and body portions, and laterally adjustable head holding pads are provided on the head portion.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Patented March 21, 1972 3,650,523

2 Sheets-Sheet l lNVE/VTOR CHARLES P. DARBY, JR.

M m M 024% Q Z/Mc/ ATTORNEYS Patented March 21, 1972 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4

FIG. 2

R R m v w W W A D P w m m 5 m F ll 8 5 8 ml 3 8 rm/avers INFANT RESTRAINING BOARD BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF INVENTION This invention relates to an assembly for supporting children and restraining them as for physical examination.

Children, particularly younger children, often become excited or emotional when undergoing even superficial ex amination and treatment. This interferes with the quality of examination and treatment and could result in injury due to unexpected rapid movements at a critical time. The invention contemplates efficient rapidly applied restraint of the prospective patient, with a minimum of equipment or devices calculated to alarm the patient.

Restraint devices of this general nature have been proposed, as illustrated by the patent to Creelman U.S. Pat. No. 3,315,671.

The present invention provides a relatively inexpensive but highly functional and efficient restraining support upon which the child may be placed and held without injury and without his becoming alarmed at the appearance of complex wrappings, fixtures and the like; and this is the major object of the invention.

In its preferred embodiment the invention provides a relatively stiff flat support having extensions sized and directed to underlie the normally extended legs and arms of a young patient, with readily attachable and detachable patient securing means such as adjustable straps or bands passing through suitable slots in the support, and this is an important object of the invention. Further objects of the invention include adjustable head holding members on the support, usually contoured to present only soft or rounded surfaces to the patient.

Further objects will appear as the description proceeds in connection with the following specification and the annexed drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a generally perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing one of the head positioning devices;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the head position device, with part of the associated support structure shown in section; and

FIG. 4 and 5 are plan and side view showing a further embodiment of head positioning device.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, the invention comprises a relatively flat, stiff support 11 which may advantageously be a unitary member suitably cut out or sawed from a sheet or board of plywood thick enough to be rigid when subjected to the weight and attempted movements of a child (shown in chain lines) lying thereon.

Support 11 comprises a body portion 12 with a relatively wide head portion 13 at one end and diverging leg portions 14, 15 at the other end. Aligned arm portions 16, 17 extend laterally oppositely from the juncture of the head and body portions.

Arm portion 16 is provided with two longitudinally spaced sets of parallel slots 18, I9 and 21, 22 Fastening bands 23 and 24 extend slidably through the slot pairs with their intermediate sections extending across the arm portion undersurface and their free end extending around the arm ofa child on the support. For example bands 23 and 24 respectively may embrace the childs extended right arm above and below the elbow. Preferably bands 23 and 24 are parallel and they are adjusted toward and away from each other in the slots longitudinally of arm portion 16.

Bands 23 and 24 are provided with releasable attachment means at least at their overlapping free ends, adapted for quick but secure attachment and for ready detachment when the child is released. Preferably these attachment means comprise cooperating hook and loop fasteners of the type known as VELCRO fasteners and which are disclosed in US. Pat. No. 2,717,437.

Similar longitudinally spaced pairs of slots 25, 26 and 27, 28 are formed in arm 17, and parallel longitudinally adjustable fastening bands 29 and 31 extend slidlably through the respective slot pairs as in arm 16, to secure the childs extended left arm.

Leg portion 14 is formed with two longitudinally spaced pairs of slots 32, 33 and 34, 35 through which slidably pass fastening bands 36 and 37. Bands 36 and 37 are parallel and relatively adjustable in the slots toward and from each other. Similarly leg portion 15 is formed with two longitudinally spaced pairs of slots 38, 39 and 41, 42 through which slidably pass fastening bands 43 and 44. Bands 43 and 44 are parallel and relatively adjustable in the slots toward and from each other.

Bands 37 and 44 extend around the childs legs above the knee, and bands 36 and 43 extend around the childs legs below the knee.

Body portion 12 is formed near its opposite side edges with parallel slots 45 and 46. A fastening band 47 passes over the underside of the support through both slots 45 and 46, and it is long enough that its opposite ends may extend around and overlap or otherwise secure to each other at the child 5 body.

All of the foregoing fastener bands are preferably provided at their overlapping ends with VELCRO fasteners.

The head portion 13 is formed with laterally spaced aligned slots 48, one of which is shown in FIG. 3, and above these slots head positioning devices 49 and 51 are adjustably mounted to move toward and from each other on the upper surface of the support.

In one embodiment, device 49 comprises a base 52 and an upright post 53 rigid with the base. The underside of base 52 is flat to slide on the support.

A foam rubber or like soft resilient pad 54, shaped on its inner side surface 55 to comfortably engage a side of the childs head, has two lower rigid hinge projections 56 and 57 on its outer side that extend into cooperating aligned hinge slots 58 and 59 on the base. A hinge bolt 61 having at one end a head 62 extend through the base and hinge projections, and a wing nut 63 is mounted on the threaded end of the bolt. Pad 54 may thus rock about the hinge axis to an adjusted position. The adjusted position of pad 54 is locked by an arm 65 extending from a pivot 66 on an outer side upper projection 67 on pad 54. Arm 65 has a slot 64 through which passes the bolt of a wing nut and bolt assembly 68 projecting through an opening in the upper part of post 53.

Base 52 is formed with spaced holes 69 and 71 through which pass clamp bolts 72 and 73 carrying wing nuts 74 and 75, for clamping the device to head portion 13. When bolts 72 and 74 are loose, the pads 54 may be shifted apart to admit the patients head and then moved inwardly to gently contact opposite sides of the head. A further head fit adjustment is provided by wing nut and bolt assembly 68. When the pads 54 have been finally adjusted and secured in place, the patients head is held firmly against undersired movement.

FIG. 4 and 5 show another form of head holding device 81 which comprises a flat bottomed base 82 and an inner end post 83 upstanding from the base. Post 83 is flat sided and faced with a pad 84 of resilient material having a generally convex contour. Base 81 has spacedl holes 85 and 86 for passing bolts 72 and 73 to extend through head slots 48 and this provides an adjustable mounting of each pad 84 as in the earlier embodiment.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: Iclaim:

l. A patient restraining assembly as for children comprising a relatively stiff support member having a head portion at one end adapted to underlie the head of the patient and a foot portion at the other end to underlie the legs of the patient, a body portion intermediate the head and foot portions and arm portions projecting from opposite sides adjacent the juncture of the head and body portions, said foot portion comprising two leg portions diverging from said body portion to spread the legs of the patient, and releasable patient holding means comprising a pair of longitudinally extending substantially parallel slots in said body portion and at least one fastener band extending slidably through both of said body slots with its free ends above the support member, said body band being shiftable along the associated slots for optimum association with the body of the patient on said support member, and a plurality of elongated parallel slots in each of said arm and leg portions and fastener bands having their intermediate sections slidably disposed in said arm and leg slots with their free ends adapted to pass around a limb of a patient on the support, there being readily attachable and detachable securing means on at least said free ends of the bands and each of said arm and leg bands being slidably displaceable along its associated slot for optimum positioning along the associated arm or leg of said patient, and spaced head engaging cushion members on said head portion laterally adjustably mounted on said head portion and disposed for confining the head of the patient between them.

2. The patient restraining assembly defined in claim I, wherein each of said head engaging members comprises a base slidably adjustable on the support member head portion, and a resilient head engaging pad adjustably mounted on said base.

3. The patient restraining assembly defined in claim 1, wherein each arm portion has two longitudinally spaced pairs of parallel slots and at least one fastener band extending slidably through each pair of slots with the free ends disposed above the support member to pass around the arms of the patient for fastening the arms of the patient above and below the elbow.

4. The restraining assembly defined in claim 1, wherein each of said diverging leg portions is provided with two longitudinally spaced pairs of parallel slots and at least one fastener band is slidably mounted in each pair of slots for fastening the legs of the patient above and below the knee. 

1. A patient restraining assembly as for children comprising a relatively stiff support member having a head portion at one end adapted to underlie the head of the patient and a foot portion at the other end to underlie the legs of the patient, a body portion intermediate the head and foot portions and arm portions projecting from opposite sides adjacent the juncture of the head and body portions, said foot portion comprising two leg portions diverging from said body portion to spread the legs of the patient, and releasable patient holding means comprising a pair of longitudinally extending substantially parallel slots in said body portion and at least one fastener band extending slidably through both of said body slots with its free ends above the support member, said body band being shiftable along the associated slots for optimum association with the body of the patient on said support member, and a plurality of elongated parallel slots in each of said arm and leg portions and fastener bands having their intermediate sections slidably disposed in said arm and leg slots with their free ends adapted to pass around a limb of a patient on the support, there being readily attachable and detachable securing means on at least said free ends of the bands and each of said arm and leg bands being slidably displaceable along its associated slot for optimum positioning along the associated arm or leg of said patient, and spaced head engaging cushion members on said head portion laterally adjustably mounted on said head portion and disposed for confining the head of the patient between them.
 2. The patient restraining assembly defined in claim 1, wherein each of said head engaging members comprises a base slidably adjustable on the support member head portion, and a resilient head engaging pad adjustably mounted on said base.
 3. The patient restraining assembly defined in claim 1, wherein each arm portion has two longitudinally spaced pairs of parallel slots and at least one fastener band extending slidably through each pair of slots with the free ends disposed above the support member to pass around the arms of the patient for fastening the arms of the patient above and below the elbow.
 4. The restraining assembly defined in claim 1, wherein each of said diverging leg portions is provided with two longitudinally spaced pairs of parallel slots and at least one fastener band is slidably mounted in each pair of slots for fastening the legs of the patient above and below the knee. 